Tea Ceremony Experience! Reasons why it is popular among foreigners and performance in English
Many companies and staff members think “wouldn’t it be nice to experience a tea ceremony to entertain important overseas guests and VIPs visiting Japan with a touch of Japaneseness?” Many companies and people in charge of tea ceremonies think that “a tea ceremony experience is a good way to entertain foreign guests and VIPs visiting Japan while incorporating Japanese hospitality.
Indeed, the tea ceremony experience is popular among foreigners.
It is a fact that many people are fascinated by matcha or Japanese tea, so much so that in recent years, matcha-flavored sweets have consistently ranked among the most popular souvenirs among foreign tourists.
Since the tea ceremony has become so well known to people overseas, there are more and more places and events in Japan where people can casually experience the tea ceremony, and it is not unusual for some VIPs in particular to have already practiced the tea ceremony.
But even if your guests have experienced the tea ceremony before, they will be fine.
The tea ceremony is a great way to experience original hospitality that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
We will show you the charm of the tea ceremony, which seems formal but is actually easy to arrange and flexible.
What is the tea ceremony and its appeal to foreigners?
If you are interested in learning more about the tea ceremony and kimono hospitality practiced by expatriates, please refer to this article.
Practice by expatriates] Omotenashi with tea ceremony and kimono
Dignitaries and state guests from abroad are often entertained with a tea ceremony.
This is not only to give you a taste of Japanese culture, but also to provide a place where you can calm your mind since you have come all the way to Japan.
For foreigners, the tea ceremony also means experiencing the real Japan.
For foreigners, the tea ceremony means coming into contact with the real Japan.
The posture of wearing a kimono and serving tea is one of the most typical Japanese icons.
In addition, since Japanese manners are packed into each and every movement of the tea ceremony, experiencing a tea ceremony will give you a real sense of experiencing Japan.
Above all, desserts made with matcha have gained worldwide acceptance, which is one of the reasons why there is even more interest in the tea ceremony.
The popularity of the tea ceremony experience among foreigners grows year by year.
Japanese Culture of “Chanoyu”.
There are dozens of ways to approach the “tea ceremony” in a single word.
There are different schools, each with subtly different procedures and methods of handling tools, and each is established as an art form in its own right.
Furthermore, most people imagine the “tea ceremony” as a scene in a Japanese-style room, wearing a kimono, eating Japanese sweets, and drinking powdered green tea.
However, it can be done not only in a Japanese-style room, but also in a Western-style room, at a chair and table, or, what’s more, outdoors.
Chanoyu is a term that encompasses all the various schools and manners of tea ceremony, and refers to the act of serving tea and entertaining guests.
The tea ceremony is, simply put
The tea ceremony is one of the typical Japanese manners and etiquette.
It fosters a spirit of respect and hospitality for our customers.
Sen no Rikyu perfected the tea ceremony as we know it today, and each school inherited this tradition.
Many of the Japanese manners of hospitality with a “once-in-a-lifetime encounter” are thought to have their origins in the tea ceremony.
Why did it spread overseas? Wabi, Sabi, Matcha
The word “wabi-sabi,” which describes the characteristics of Japanese culture, as well as the tea ceremony, a typical Japanese etiquette, have become popular overseas.
After World War II, as Japan’s economy developed, various schools of tea ceremony continued to spread their teachings overseas, and the image of tea ceremony as Japanese was formed.
In addition, matcha rapidly gained recognition around the world after the year 2000 with the popularization of ice cream and lattes at coffee shops.
This is why the tea ceremony has become so popular in inbound tourism.
Explaining the Tea Ceremony in English
It is difficult to memorize many English words and phrases at once, so let us try to remember and explain a few words and phrases that are easy to remember as follows.
English words related to tea ceremony
Sado: (Japanese) tea ceremony
Temae means making tea
Wabi Sabi :Japanese traditional aesthetics
English Phrases Related to Tea Ceremony
The tea ceremony is a symbol of Japanese hospitality culture.
Sado means Japanese tea ceremony that is a symbol of Japanese traditional manner.
Wabi-sabi represents the traditional Japanese sense of beauty, which includes the good qualities of simplicity and imperfection.
Wabi-Sabi means Japanese traditional aesthetics that consist of (good aspect) simplicity and imperfection.
Today we will entertain you with a tea ceremony.
We will entertain you today by Sado (making Japanese tea.)
Basic Manners for Drinking Tea (Urasenke)
Let me give you a brief, though formal, description of how the tea is served.
In fact, you should learn it from the teachers along with their tips.
– Tea is brought from the main guest side.
– When tea is brought, greet the guests with “After you.
– Receive the teacup with your right hand, place the teacup on your left hand, and turn it clockwise twice with your right hand.
– First, take a sip, then drink it all in the remaining 2-3 sips.
The last drink is taken in one gulp.
– Turn the teacup counterclockwise twice
– Lightly wipe the mouthpiece with your right thumb.
– If I have time to spare, I will enjoy looking at the patterns on the teacups.
General Tea Ceremony Experience
If you would like to know more about specific examples of hospitality, please refer to this article.
Reference article: Japan’s inspiring hospitality! Five episodes of hospitality that foreigners appreciate
In the past, the tea ceremony had an image of being a closed space, enjoyed by a select few, and difficult to approach even for Japanese people.
However, with the matcha boom overseas and Japanese people’s re-evaluation of Japanese culture, the “tea ceremony” has gradually become more accessible, and there are more and more places and events where people can experience it without any restrictions.
Even if you are not in a Japanese-style room, do not wear a kimono, or have never learned the tea ceremony, you can easily learn and taste matcha tea on the spot.
There are still many Japanese who are new to the tea ceremony, and many places offer tea ceremony experiences for tourists rather than for foreigners.
So, in reality, the tea ceremony experience for foreign tourists is only a small part of the tea ceremony, less than one-tenth of the total.
What is a tea ceremony experience and performance for foreign VIPs?
A different experience from the tourists.
If you would like to be briefed in English on Japanese customs, please refer to this article.
Reference article: Explaining Japanese customs and manners in English Let’s convey Japanese customs and manners properly!
Even though the tea ceremony is one of Japan’s representative cultural traditions, it seems a bit unthoughtful to prepare a mundane, casual experience for entertaining important guests and VIPs coming all the way from abroad to Japan.
With wealthy individuals and corporate executives, it is not surprising that they have already experienced the hospitality and simplicity of the tea ceremony.
It takes just a little ingenuity to incorporate the tea ceremony into a hospitality experience that cannot be experienced anywhere else, so as not to make people feel bored and say, “I’ve done this before.”
Tea Ceremony is a Comprehensive Art of Japanese Culture
If you want to incorporate the tea ceremony into your special hospitality, you must understand that the tea ceremony is not only a “manner for drinking tea”.
This is because it requires knowledge and experience not only in tea ceremony but also in calligraphy, flower arrangement, incense, pottery, charcoal, confectionery, landscaping, kaiseki cuisine, history, and countless other genres.
This may put you off as something very difficult, but on the contrary, there are endless possibilities for arranging hospitality that incorporate a variety of elements.
An original tea ceremony experience
Therefore, I would like to recommend the “tea ceremony x (pour)” hospitality.
For example, for music lovers, we recommend the “Tea Ceremony x Japanese Instrumental Performance” which can be enjoyed using all five senses.
If you assemble a menu focusing on “tea ceremony x seasonal flowers and unusual vases” for those who like flower arrangement, or “tea ceremony x Japanese sweets and kaiseki cuisine” for those who like Japanese sweets and food, you will have a much more unusual and novel experience than if you assemble a hospitality menu based only on what the guests are merely interested in or like.
In addition, for those who love the Japanese four seasons, nature, and the outdoors, we invite you to experience “nodate,” a tea ceremony that is enjoyed outdoors.
For nodate, different utensils are used than those used in the tea ceremony room.
It is not often that you can experience Nodate, so this will surely be a valuable experience as well.
Tea Ceremony as a Performance that Pleases Foreigners
Tea Ceremony is a Performance Art
You may have seen the expression “performance art” for the first time.
Speaking of things with an artistic “way” attached to them, the beauty of flower arrangement is easily recognized and appreciated throughout the world, and calligraphy can also be enjoyed like a painting, even if one cannot read, for the vigor and brushwork of the characters.
In kodo, you can also compete in the art of listening to fragrances, which is like a sommelier of fragrances, which is also easy to understand.
However, when it comes to looking at the tea ceremony, it is not quite clear where exactly to focus one’s attention.
Therefore, the term “performance art” is used to describe the artistry of the tea ceremony.
In other words, the tea ceremony is an art in itself, in the series of movements, the beauty of the utensils used, and the performance of making tea.
Watching a tea ceremony is also an excellent tea ceremony experience
People tend to think of the tea ceremony as something you have to do yourself, such as actually making and drinking the tea, and learning the gestures, but in fact, you can savor the experience even if you just watch.
Of course, there are ways to enjoy and discover things only through experience, so if you can, you will get closer to the culture of the tea ceremony by experiencing it yourself.
But even just by watching, one realizes that there is surprisingly little waste in the sequence of steps, gestures, and manners of the tea ceremony, and that each movement is very well thought out and meaningful.
The overall impression is of a graceful and leisurely one, as there is a lot of slow movement, but in fact, the movements are slow and rhythmic, and it is also a very logical art form.
The way the participants, dressed in kimonos and sitting on their haunches, handle all the utensils within their reach is truly magnificent, and a cup of tea is served while you are watching the beauty of it all.
In the tea ceremony performance, tea ceremony masters who can speak English and Chinese were also present in order for the audience to understand the meaning of each gesture,
Often, commentary is included.
Even foreigners who are not accustomed to sitting in seiza or Japanese-style rooms can fully enjoy this.
summary
The desire to provide Japanese hospitality, no matter what form it takes, will always be conveyed to the recipient.
However, if you are entertaining guests of a higher rank, you still want to deliver a special experience that is different and unique.
And we hope you have found that the seemingly difficult “tea ceremony” can fulfill such a desire.
A higher grade of hospitality, full of originality, tailored to the tastes of our guests.
I am sure it will resonate with you more than you know.
If you are interested in learning more about tea ceremony etiquette, please refer to this video.
Reference video: https://youtu.be/KfDTuNyup9Y
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